r o connor



Dec. 22, 1925. v 1,566,687

l y J. F; OCONNOR FRIGTION SHOCK A BSORBING MECHANISM CII Patented Dec. 22, 1925.

UNITED s'rexriis.v

1,566,687# PATE-Nr JOHN F. OCONNOR, or ciireAGdiLLinois, AssIGNOR, BY ransivnnssienivinnirsrm" Minna,y me., Af ooaroiaariiroirl or DELAWARE;A

EMOTION 'SHOOK-ABSORBING MEcHANrsii/r. c i

To all whom it mayv concern: Y

Be it known that I, JOHN F. a citizen of the United States, residing Vat Chicago, in thecounty of Cook and yState of Illinois, have invented a certainl new and useful Improvement in Friction Shock-AlosorbingV Mechanisms, `of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

friction sliockabsorbing mechanisms.

One object of the invention is to provide a friction shock. absorbing mechanism especially adapted for railway draftk riggings,

wherein are obtained high capacityand certain release. y

More specifically, an object of the invention is to provide a mechanisinofthe character indicated, wherein a differential wedgeY action is had during the compression stroke.

Other objects and advantages'of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claim hereinafter following.

In the'drawings forming 'a part ofthis specification, Figure l is a horizontal, longi-v tudinal, sectional view of a portion of a railway draft rigging, showingI my improvements in connection therewith.` Figure 2 is a front end elevational view of the friction` corresponding substantially yto the line 3 3 of Figure 1. Figure 4 is va detailed, perspective view of one of the wedge frictionV shoes. And Figure 5 is a detailed perspective view of the Apressure transmitting element.

In said drawings, 10`10 denote channel draft sills of the usual type, the same having fro-nt stop lugs 11 and rear stop lugs 12 secured to the inner faces thereof. The friction shock absorbing mechanism proper is operatively associated with a drawbar 13 by means of a hooded cast yoke 14, said yoke and the parts therewitliin being supported in operative position by a detachable saddle plate 16. A front follower 17 Vof ordinary form is employed with the shock absorbing mechanism proper. y

The improved shock absorbing mechanism proper, as shown, comprises, broadly,fa com- Vbined friction shell and spring cage casting A, a pressure transmitting element B; a

OCONNOR,

pair of wedge friction shoesiC- C;I spring resistancel D; a spring follower E; and a retainer bolt F. Y i

The combined friction shell yandtheV spring cage casting'A,as shown, is of rectangular cross sectionv at 'its outer or `front end','tlie same having top and bottom walls 18-18 and side wa.llsf1919. Rearwardlyof the kfriction shell portion of the casting defined by the walls 18 and 19, the same is made of Y v reduced crosssection as indicated at 2O kto This invention relates toimprovements 1n` provide the spring cage, havingy an integral rear Vwall .21 laterally extendedy o cooperate with vthe rear stop lugs 12 in the manner of. the usual rear follower. The shell: is also reinforced by longitudinally extending cen. tral webs 22 and vertically'. disposedwebsv 23%23. Theinner faces ofthe side wallsf. 19-19 converge inwardly; ofthe shell, .thereby providing we'dge friction faces 24 extending at relatively keen angles with vreference to the longitudinal axisof the mechanism;y

rIChe wedge pressure transmitting element B is in the :form of a hollow casting having a flat front endface 25, a plurality of spaced side'wedge-faces 263-26y connected loyflatv faces 27the wedge faces 26 being arrangedl at relatively blunt'angles with reference to` the longitudinalaxis of the mechanism.` 'The front end face 25 of the pressure transmitting element is adapted to coactwiththe flat rear face of the front follower. In. the in-.A stancezshown, the 'wedge vis yprovided with two pairs of spaced wedge faces 26 located at opposite sides of the same, but it `willbeevident `that the'y number o-f faces maybevaried..` y Thewedgefrictionl shoes C are twonin number and of similar construction, being disposed on opposite sides of the wedge pressure transmitting member and interposed between the latter and the side walls 19 of the friction shell. f Each of the wedge shoes C is provided with' an outer flat face 28 similarly inclined to the wedge face 24 of the adjacent side'of the friction shell and adapted to coact therewith, and a pair of spaced inner wedge faces 29-29 connected by'a flat face 30, the vfaces 29 being correspondingly inclined to .the wedge faces. 26

ico

l bar, is as follows.

The .inner ,ends of the friction shoes are directly .engaged by the spring follower E which has the opposite ends thereof ex tending. `11.112,0 the .Sockets 31, the Spring .iollower'inturn coacting with the spring resistance D yinterposedV between the latter and the rea-r wall 21 of the Lspring cage.

The' parts are heldin 'the' assembled rela-.

tion and under initial compression by the retainer bolt F, having the head thereof anchored: in ahollow bloss 32 on therear wall 2l .and vhavingthe opposite endA anchoredA within the hollow pressure transmitting wedge 4B. bythe :nut 38, .the spring follower 1 E .beingperforatedlto receive the 'shank of the. bolt. As clearly shownin Figure 1, the opposite` ends of the inner coil of the spring resistance ybear on theboss 32 `and the inner face lof the .spring followerE respectively, the .springjfollower E being provided with a vboss 3.4 extending intothe.A spring tohold y the p same .properly centered.

A vDuring .the inward movement of the wedge system, as thewedgefac'es 28 ofthe shoes travel' onthe'wedge faces 24- ofthe shell,

there will bea simultaneous movement of the. shoes. inwardly relatively'toward each other transversely ofthemechanism, thereby causing .2.1. differential .wedge action',.the.faces 29 of theV shoes slipping Vinwardly yon` the relativelybluntwedge `faces 26 of the pres.

sure :transmitting element? until` inward movement vof the follower .17 i's `limited the follower 17-abuttingthe front .end of the shell, the force then beingftransmitted directly through the. shell. yWhen theactuat.-

i-n'glpressnre is ;rednced,'.the wedge B will'- drop away from the. shoes dnel to Vthe lbluntness of'the engaging wedge faces thereof, thereby reducingthev lateral pressure on the shoes and effecting instant release of the wedging system.

.During draft, the operation of the mecha- ,nisrn isthe reverseof that .j ustdescribed,

the ycasting Abeing vmoved toward the front follower 17 whichA is held stationary.

vItwill be evident that the retainer bolt not only maintains the parts in assembled rela- .tion and limits `their outward movement but also holds them under initial compression whereby compensationfor wear on the .en-Y

gagingffaces of the parts is had.` v

FI have V herein shownand described what I new consider the preferred manner of.

carryingV out myzinvention, but the same is merely illustrativev and I contemplate 'allchanges and. modifications which come withy in the scope of the claim appendedhereto.

I claim:` f Y In a friction shock absorbing mechanism, the combination with a casing having a pair ofv opposed flat, inwardly converging. wedge faces, said faces being disposed atrelatively keen angles with reference to the .ax-is yof the mechanism; of a wedgev pressure transmitting element adaptedto. directly cooperate with a Vmain follower, said element.v

having tandem arranged pairs ofA wedge faces disposed at relatively blunt angles with reference. to vsaid axis, said tandem arranged 1" faces ofeach pair being spacedlongitudinal'ly apart and .arranged respectively at the inner and .outer ends of the wedge pressure transmitting element; a` pair of friction wedge shoes, each having a wedge face co.` 'f

acting with the .corresponding wedge yfaces of said "pressure,transmitting'Y element, said y f shoes .being laterally .slidable onthe wedge Y faces of said wedge pressure transmitting element, .said shoesfberng spacedr apart transl versely .of the mechanism to permit lateral approach Y*thereof duringa compression stroke, anda spring .resistance opposing inward movementoffsaid shoes. V j

.In witnessthat' yclaim vthe foregoing I have hereunto subscribed. my name this l10th day of-October V1923. Y JOHN F. OCONNOR; 

